Starborn Forests: Seedlands

The seedlands:

The first thing anyone notices, coming over the divide, is how alive the seedlands are. The very air is impregnated with a sense of fecundity, of burgeoning life.  No matter the original climate there are vast trees and plants, animals grazing—or hunting. It’s not always the same. A seedland in the far north will how snow, and its plants and animals will be of the sort expected for that region, but the sense of growth, of life will remain the same.

But it’s not just normal life. Plants, animals, even the people find themselves infused with the power of the region. Some animals are merged with spirits, as are some intelligent visitors. Even those who do not become merged have numerous changes—say an ability to speak to animals, unusual hair and skin colors (far more common than in the borderlands). Those born to mortals in these regions are sometimes born as dryads and fauns, and other beings, some even stranger.

The seedlands are also unfriendly to created items. Worked metals, fabrics, anything processed, decays, unless it is magic or is protected by magic. The less work done to bring something to its finished form, the longer it exists—a flint knife may last decades, but an expensive steel sword will corrode to uselessness in a few days or even hours. The two exceptions are items that have a spiritual ‘weight” to them, whether it is a family heirloom sword, or an ancient temple that has enjoyed  worship for thousands of years, and enchanted items.

Sorcery is also common, with many inhabitants having little knacks, while powerful mages are not uncommon, although their sorcery is most often, but not always, nature focused.

Communities tend to be relatively small, but want for little—the seedlands provide, and most groups work as hunter-gatherers rather than farmers, with the land fertile enough that they do not have to become nomads.

Homes tend to be formed from plants, or shaped out of the earth, lending most seedland towns an organic, grown look. Brick and concrete don’t last in the seedlands, after all.

And they live among treasures. Trees with glowing crystalline fruit fill the night with light, while flowers spread scents that no perfume can match. Vines bring up pure water from deep underground, while other fruits can cure illness. A legion of mystic ingredients exist in the seedlands, and where the borderlands have copper trees, here mithril and other exotic materials form parts of mystic trees.

It is said that a king’s ransom lines every foot path.

But the locals do not simply laze away their days—for those who live within the seedlands all hear the Song, and have duties. Maddened spirits and animals must be kept in line, or eliminated, parts of the seedlands may need to be modified, especially in those seedlands where godtrees have established themselves. Sometimes the locals may have ambassadors chosen from their number by the Song, to mediate issues in the seedlands, or between the seedlands and their neighbors…

Or defend from those who would loot the land until it became a desert. Not a single seedland has not faced those who would take with no thoughts of the future. After all, what cares a king about the health of the seedland if he could obtain the ingredients for a potion of immortality. Even the waters of the seedlands, properly treated and stored, can turn a dry desert plot into a fertile farm. While truly massive attacks may trigger the seedland into expanding, that is dangerous to all, not just the offenders, and so the inhabitants work to stop any attempt to exploit the seedlands, save for agreed upon amounts at agreed upon places.

The biggest defense the seedlands have is the simple fact that few armies would survive for very long, given the damage to their weapons and tools. Most groups that are hired to loot the region are experienced groups of adventurers, often equipped with magic tools and weapons. While it may be said that most of these groups are too small to do severe damage, the point needs to be made that the seedlands are not for looting by trespassers.

In other cases, intruders come from cults and groups dedicated to controlling or destroying the seedlands (xx).  Beyond cultic fanatics, the value of the seedlands makes them a target for kingdoms wishing to deprive their enemies of the trade… And of course groups like the Lords of Rot despise the seedlands and would love to see them come to… well rot.

Most inhabitants of the seedlands never feel the need to leave. But a few do. Sometimes this is because they feel they have a mission, given by the Song (xx), in other times there’s just a wanderlust. A very few are born not hearing the Song, and that leaves them isolated from their companions. Such individuals often become wanderers, looking for a place where they can finally fit in. 

Sidebar: Buried treasure

When the starseeds fell, entire kingdoms were destroyed and while most of their remains have long since decayed, magic items and structures with great historical resonance, ancient castles and such survive, often overgrown by the seedland forests—and within them are treasures. Royal treasuries, mystic labs, things that are more valuable than even the fruits of the seedlands. Adventurers may seek these, based on ancient maps, or be sent to get them. But beware, such treasures often include guardians, and may even be under the control of the Lords of Rot.

 The seedlands:

The first thing anyone notices, coming over the divide, is how alive the seedlands are. The very air is impregnated with a sense of fecundity, of burgeoning life.  No matter the original climate there are vast trees and plants, animals grazing—or hunting. It’s not always the same. A seedland in the far north will how snow, and its plants and animals will be of the sort expected for that region, but the sense of growth, of life will remain the same.

But it’s not just normal life. Plants, animals, even the people find themselves infused with the power of the region. Some animals are merged with spirits, as are some intelligent visitors. Even those who do not become merged have numerous changes—say an ability to speak to animals, unusual hair and skin colors (far more common than in the borderlands). Those born to mortals in these regions are sometimes born as dryads and fauns, and other beings, some even stranger.

The seedlands are also unfriendly to created items. Worked metals, fabrics, anything processed, decays, unless it is magic or is protected by magic. The less work done to bring something to its finished form, the longer it exists—a flint knife may last decades, but an expensive steel sword will corrode to uselessness in a few days or even hours. The two exceptions are items that have a spiritual ‘weight” to them, whether it is a family heirloom sword, or an ancient temple that has enjoyed  worship for thousands of years, and enchanted items.

Sorcery is also common, with many inhabitants having little knacks, while powerful mages are not uncommon, although their sorcery is most often, but not always, nature focused.

Communities tend to be relatively small, but want for little—the seedlands provide, and most groups work as hunter-gatherers rather than farmers, with the land fertile enough that they do not have to become nomads.

Homes tend to be formed from plants, or shaped out of the earth, lending most seedland towns an organic, grown look. Brick and concrete don’t last in the seedlands, after all.

And they live among treasures. Trees with glowing crystalline fruit fill the night with light, while flowers spread scents that no perfume can match. Vines bring up pure water from deep underground, while other fruits can cure illness. A legion of mystic ingredients exist in the seedlands, and where the borderlands have copper trees, here mithril and other exotic materials form parts of mystic trees.

It is said that a king’s ransom lines every foot path.

But the locals do not simply laze away their days—for those who live within the seedlands all hear the Song, and have duties. Maddened spirits and animals must be kept in line, or eliminated, parts of the seedlands may need to be modified, especially in those seedlands where godtrees have established themselves. Sometimes the locals may have ambassadors chosen from their number by the Song, to mediate issues in the seedlands, or between the seedlands and their neighbors…

Or defend from those who would loot the land until it became a desert. Not a single seedland has not faced those who would take with no thoughts of the future. After all, what cares a king about the health of the seedland if he could obtain the ingredients for a potion of immortality. Even the waters of the seedlands, properly treated and stored, can turn a dry desert plot into a fertile farm. While truly massive attacks may trigger the seedland into expanding, that is dangerous to all, not just the offenders, and so the inhabitants work to stop any attempt to exploit the seedlands, save for agreed upon amounts at agreed upon places.

The biggest defense the seedlands have is the simple fact that few armies would survive for very long, given the damage to their weapons and tools. Most groups that are hired to loot the region are experienced groups of adventurers, often equipped with magic tools and weapons. While it may be said that most of these groups are too small to do severe damage, the point needs to be made that the seedlands are not for looting by trespassers.

In other cases, intruders come from cults and groups dedicated to controlling or destroying the seedlands (xx).  Beyond cultic fanatics, the value of the seedlands makes them a target for kingdoms wishing to deprive their enemies of the trade… And of course groups like the Lords of Rot despise the seedlands and would love to see them come to… well rot.

Most inhabitants of the seedlands never feel the need to leave. But a few do. Sometimes this is because they feel they have a mission, given by the Song (xx), in other times there’s just a wanderlust. A very few are born not hearing the Song, and that leaves them isolated from their companions. Such individuals often become wanderers, looking for a place where they can finally fit in. 

Sidebar: Buried treasure

When the starseeds fell, entire kingdoms were destroyed and while most of their remains have long since decayed, magic items and structures with great historical resonance, ancient castles and such survive, often overgrown by the seedland forests—and within them are treasures. Royal treasuries, mystic labs, things that are more valuable than even the fruits of the seedlands. Adventurers may seek these, based on ancient maps, or be sent to get them. But beware, such treasures often include guardians, and may even be under the control of the Lords of Rot.